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Advising

For a list of Advisors for the interdisciplinary programs administered by the Faculty of Arts, OASIS (ground floor, Dawson Hall), please refer to the Interdisciplinary Programs webpage. Below you will find general information about Advising, Course Overlap, Degree Audits and FAQs.

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their program advisor and faculty advisors on a regular basis to discuss program options and requirements, course selections, transfer credits, internship options, and other issues related to their program/degree and graduation.

Academic Advising

When do I see a Program Advisor?

Am I taking the right courses for my program?

The course I require to graduate is not offered this year…

Two of my required courses overlap, what do I do?

Have I completed my program requirements?

What is a Program Advisor?

Departmental Program Advisors provide advice on the program specific to their own department. They give advice on course selection related to that program, courses that may be applied to study away and how it would affect overall degree planning related to that program, as well as course selection in order to graduate on time.

How do I see my Program Advisor?

Our advisor holds weekly drop in hours that are posted on the contact page. Drop in is first-come, first-served, no appointment is necessary. If you cannot make it to drop in, please email the advisor to schedule an appointment.

When do I see a Faculty Advisor (Arts OASIS)

Do I have enough credits to complete my degree?

I want to do a semester abroad, how does that affect my degree completion?

Can I take an extra course in my last semester in order to graduate on time?

I need to go over my credit limit, what do I do?

I need to take extra credits outside of Arts and Science, who approves this?

I am having medical issues and may need a leave of absence, who do I see?

I don’t know what majors/minors to take…

I’m having financial trouble and can’t pay my tuition, what can I do?

What is a Faculty Advisor?

Faculty Advisors (Arts OASIS) provide information on provide information on rules, regulations and upcoming deadlines governing your overall 120 credit degree program. They offer guidance on choosing your programs of study, planning your degree, credit load and study away issues. They assist students in managing academic situations during periods of personal, financial or medical difficulty by working with students to identify their options. They also approve course selection for U0 Arts Freshman students and serve as your direct link to other University resources.

Course Overlap

Students will not receive credit for courses with content that overlaps. Please carefully review the eCalendars regulations on Course Overlap. Specifically the eCalendar outlines the numerous courses on statistics, but this also applies to all other courses even though they are not specified.

In addition to this regulation, you are not permitted to "double count" courses towards two programs. Thus, if a course is required for two programs, it can only count towards one; you will be given an "exemption" for one of your programs since you have already completed the required course, but will have to replace the "missing" credits for that program.

Degree Audits

Degree audits are a tool utilized to see if a requirement has or has not been fulfilled, or if it is in progress. It is a self assessment, and we highly recommend doing them regularly. For a detailed description and links to interdisciplinary program degree audits, see our Forms & Resources page.

General Questions & FAQ

What do I do if the class I want to take is full?

Departments (program advisors, chairs, instructors, etc.) cannot register you for courses whether they are full or not. Check Minerva frequently to see if a space has opened, as until add/drop period is over many students switch their schedules and spaces open up frequently. If there is a waitlist for the class, you must register for the waitlist and be patient. If, however, you are a graduating student and the class if full when you try to register in Minerva, you can then contact the instructor and indicate your reasons for requiring the course so that they can determine whether the course cap could be raised. In most cases, the cap cannot be increased due to room restrictions and fire hazard regulations.

How do I get permission to register for a class that has “departmental approval” or “instructor approval”?

Courses that are marked with “departmental approval” or “instructor approval” require a permit to be issued to the student prior to being able to register in the course. If the course in question is a language course, generally there may be an application or evaluation that is required prior to registration – review the department’s website and contact the department. If it is a literature or topics course, contact the instructor by email requesting permission to take the course indicating your reasons for requiring the course.

How do I get approval for transfer credits to count towards my interdisciplinary program?

How do I register for an internship course?

How do I register for an independent reading/research course?

Courses that are marked as "independent reading" or "research" courses generally require departmental or instructor approval (see above). Some courses may require you to complete a form identifying who is your instructor and the terms and agreements you have agreed upon for the course. These forms will be found on each department/program page individually. You can contact the instructor of the course to determine the best course of action to follow in order to register.

How do I declare a major/honours program?

You declare your program by specifying it yourself in Minerva.

I want to know if I’m on track in my program, but don’t want to see an advisor yet…

You can fill out and complete a Degree Audit sheet - if you still have questions after that, go to drop in hours. It is strongly recommended to meet with an advisor regularly and to consult the eCalendar to verify program regulations.